Dear Eliza,
How has your summer been? I understand why you are getting scared about our exchange of letters. But it is important to me that we keep the exchange going.
I was thinking... maybe we can meet up before Summer's end? I would love to have a conversation with you in person. Be careful Eliza. I fear for you at the moment. Send a owl back in the night please.
Sincerely,
Draco
Malfoy
I read the letter that had just flown through the window by the window in the warm afternoon light. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Harry lay asleep on the bed. Knowing that he wouldn't catch me writing, I quickly scribbled back:
Dear Draco,
My summer has been okay. Though I do wish that it wasn't so deathly hot. Anyway, how's your summer been?
I also hope we can meet up this summer, though I doubt it would be possible. I'm sorry that I have to send this letter back with your owl... and in the morning but I can't get a owl, so I have to use yours. I hope this letter doesn't get caught. We must be careful Draco.
Yours,
Eliza
Once I attached the letter to Dracos black owl, I sent it off. I heard Harry stir beside me, so I quickly put away my quill and grabbed a old rubber ball. It wasn't unlikely for me to bounce the small pink rubber ball. Harry and I were back at the Dursleys for the summer. It was always horrid there. Our room was the smallest bedroom in the house of 4 Privet Drive. We had shared it for years and only had one bed to share. It had a old spring mattress that we took turns sleeping on. Otherwise... we got a blanket and the floor.
"Hello, Elizabeth." greeted Harry groggily as he pushed up his glasses and walked over to me.
"Hi." I replied gently. I missed catching the ball in my hand. It, in turn, bounced across the floor making me frown slightly.
"How's your day been so far?" He asked laughing slightly at my failure.
I slumped fully back in my chair dramatically and spun around one-hundred-eighty degrees. The chair had been broken years ago by Dudley so that it didn't spin around all the way.
"I'm bored!" I called out.
"I'm gonna try to listen to the news..." Harry decided tapping a finger against his chin. "Care to join me?"
"Harry no. You can't... You'll get us both in trouble!" I begged, as I grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back. It was to no avail, Harry had already started out the bedroom door. A deep sigh/growl reverberated through me.
"Elizabeth, what do you expect me to do? Wait for Voldemort to just come and find us?" he said angrily. As he saw my worried face, he walked over to me and calmly said: "Listen, I know it's scary but we have to be strong. You can come with me if you like... They always go easier on you Liza, but we can't stay cooped up in here all day just waiting to hear something bad happen. You know as well as I do that we can't. Why don't you read over some of my old textbooks- or your textbooks I should say." and with that my brother walked out of a bedroom door.
My back arched again the back of the desk chair as I closed my eyes. Harry would be fine, he can take care of himself. A few minutes later I heard the front door open and close.
My eyes scanned our bedroom. It was... well, a mess. Clothes and random items were strewn randomly across the wooden floor. Collecting the clothes, I sorted them by whether or not they were clean. If they were I folded them and put them in piles, if not they went into a small pile I had in the corner of the room. It was as I started to go through papers on top of the desk I knew that I wouldn't feel right staying up here while Harry was somewhere else trying to do something helpful to a real cause.
Harry was my older brother. He was in his 5th year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I was in my 4th. Last year, his name was put in the Goblet of Fire for the Triwizard Tournament and he had faced Voldemort alive in the flesh. Now, he often had night terrors about it. The nightmares scared me deeply. If Harry was afraid of something, then I didn't have a doubt in my mind that there was a reason to be. Harry was a brave person, and not one to back down from a fight.
My feet had decided that I was going to find Harry before my mind did. I left the bedroom, but not before grabbing my wand. I knew that the Dursleys would throw a fit if they knew I had this on me though, so I gently stuffed it into my belt hole and pulled my shirt over it. It wasn't very hidden but just enough so that someone would have to get a good look at me to see it.
Once I had finally made it down the stairs and towards the living room, I saw my aunt and uncle sitting there staring at me while listening to the news. At first glance I couldn't see Hardy and wondered where he can be. The thing about Harry Potter is that he is extremely determined; out of the corner of my eye I saw a small bit of his hair at the bottom of the window that was open. I smiled for less than a second before hearing:
"What are you doing here?" my Uncle Vernon asked, his suspicious attitude was showing again.
"I'm just... going outside."I answered quickly as I raced out the front door and leaped to garden hedge below the window.
"How did you know where to find me?" questioned Harry as I sat down beside him in the garden behind a bush. The shrub scratched at my arms and legs just enough so that it was annoying but not enough to be uncomfortable.
"Duck a little lower, I could see the top of your head through the window," I whispered back.
Harry ducked down a bit lower and we sat listening to the news through the open window. I felt a bit ridiculous sitting in a garden behind a bush listening to the news through a open window but it was for a good cause.
"Anything yet?" I asked after a few minutes.
"Not that I've heard." Responded Harry.
"What about the Daily Prophet?"
"Nothing about anyone."
"Oh," I said hopelessly.
The next thing happened in a blur. There was a sort of cracking noise that caused Harry to jump up and Uncle Vernon to yell at him. Next thing I knew Harry was running down the block furious. Within a minute I had decided to follow him. After all, anything is better than being yelled at by Uncle Vernon and he was just beginning to yell at me.
I walked quietly keeping a big distance between myself and Harry. He didn't know I was there, nor did he need to. He turned onto Magnolia and I slowly followed wondering where he was going. My thought was answered as Harry walked into the park. There were people there, Dudley and his gang and a small family that was currently leaving. Harry was headed straight towards Dudley and Friends. I stayed back and waited until Harry had sat down on a swing and stared at Dudley. I knew it was my chance to get into the park without being noticed by Harry or Dudley.
I ran into the forest behind the swings. Thankfully, no one saw me so I sat and waited. Dudley and his gang eventually started to leave with Harry following shortly after them and I lagging behind. Once they made it to Magnolia and Crescent, Dudley had seen the last of his friends:
"Hey, Big D!" I groaned audibly.
"Oh, it's you." said Dudley turning to face Harry with a scowl on his face.
"How long have you been D then?" Asked Harry sarcastically. I started getting nervous.
"Shut it." Demanded Dudley.
"Cool name but, you'll always be ickle Diddykins to me." mocked Harry, now clearly agitating Dudley as he smiled broadly.
"I said shut it!" repeated Dudley as he made his hands form fists. My lip caught between my teeth.
"Don't the boys know what your mom calls you?"
"Shut your face."
"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about popkin and dinkydiddydums, can I use them then?"
"Oh, no" I mumbled to myself.
"So, who'd you beat up tonight? Another ten year old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago." Poor Mark, sure he was annoying, but he was overall a good kid.
"He was asking for it-"
"Oh yeah?"
"He cheeked me." Dudley dated as if that made his gang beating up the kid justified. I did not agree.
"Yeah? Did he say you looked like a fat pig that learned to walk on its hind legs? Cause that's not cheek, it's true," Harry spat.
We were now in a alley but they thankfully didn't see me because it was so dark in it. I just focused on staying quiet...
"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Said Dudley suddenly. Panic rose through me.
"What thing?"
"That-that thing your hiding,"
I saw Harry smile, maniac was glinting in his eyes. At this point I was begging him in my mind to not do magic. He could get expelled!
"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I suppose if you were, you wouldn't be able to talk half the time..."
I saw Harry pull out his wand. No, I thought hopelessly as I started darting towards Harry.
"You're not allowed. You'll get expelled from that freak school," said Dudley nervously.
"How do you know they haven't changed the rules Big D?" Asked Harry mischievously. They hadn't, but it was a nice play Harry.
"They haven't," said Dudley though his fear was very apparent. I was now hiding behind a dirty pillar staring at them. A clear gooey substance dropped down the side of it.
The only thought going through my mind was How am I going to get Harry out of this one?
----------------------------------------------
Originally published: June 12, 2016
~
Edited: May 18, 2017
Hey Friends!
Thank you for reading this story. I am going to be revising and fixing this story up over the next few weeks, which is why old completed readers may or may not get notifications for this story.
While I'm here I would just like to thank you all for 13.5k reads! It's a dream come true!
For my new readers, welcome to the show! I hope you enjoy your stay in Eliza's world.
Please vote, comment any feedback you have, and add this story to your reading list/library if you have not done so already.
-mkkn